What Really Happened At 30 Quail Crossing?; Car Fishing; and Saint Marys' Slick Vid

"Don't worry, dear," my sainted Irish aunt used to tell me. "The man who made time made plenty of it."

To that I say: "Oh, yeah? Well, tell him to give more of it to me."

Crazy around town lately as our pages heat up with political debate, input from key town personnel, the ever-present and more. This is supposed to be a quiet time of year, with people on vacation and stuff... but nooooooo.

Proponents and critics of expressed concern that no one would be interested in "a discussion of the issues" on Lamorinda Patch. Well, you can lay those concerns to rest as it is shaping up to be one of the most widely read and discussed political issues on our pages to date — almost threatening to overtake the in terms of reader interest and commentary.

The thread heated up quite a bit last night and we thought we were going to have to step in but, once again, participants reined themselves in and moderated the comment stream on their own. Thanks for that.

Also last night, it seems some other nocturnal shenanigans were afoot as what Lamorinda Patch was led to understand were groups of juvenile cruised various neighborhoods, apparently rifling cars for loose change and electronic gadgets and other stuff. Reports are still coming in but at least one homeowner on Birchwood in Moraga reported scaring off a group of juvies after they were spotted going through the resident's car.

One car appears to have been stolen over the weekend and people are on edge after the latest in a . Neighbors report seeing Orinda police pulling over cars and trucks as nervous residents call in reports of suspicious vehicles and people.

Police said in an advisory last week that prolific teams — or maybe it's just one team — of burglars may be watching residents, striking when they leave their homes. So far, no arrests that we know of.

Also something of a mystery was the "shooting" call that stirred up Moragans weeks ago, prompting a sizable police response after a work crew reported that one of their men had been wounded while building a fence on and taken to a nearby ranch. Air and ground units searched for a gunman but came up with nothing and although the "wounded" worker required emergency surgery for a stomach wound, no ballistic evidence (bullet or fragment) was ever found.

The case belongs to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and Lamorinda Patch has been asking its investigators for resolution of the incident, which frightened residents in our normally quiet burg. But right now no one is talking.

Who is talking? Our readers and, now, more city officials as our elected officials and those in place to lead us see what comes of reaching out to the citizenry via The Patch. Even tough-as-nails perennial critics expressed grudging admiration for a local t when she checked in to clear up a few misconceptions. The resulting silence after the injection of fact and common sense was palpable. The level of respect also went up immeasurably.

Moragans were talking about the new, very nicely produced video sent to the selection committee responsible for choosing a site for the 2012 presidential debate, and there has been almost as much reaction given to talk that the Gaels would be raising season ticket prices for basketball fans this year. 

We'll have to see what happens and we're prepared to take things as they come. After all, the man who made time made plenty of it. Or so we've been told.